I can't open some of my mason jars

ORChick

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Beekissed said:
Tin snips might work, but getting a purchase on a tight lid might also scratch the glass too much for it to be safely used later
As the surfaces of the glass that affect good seal are underneath the lid, the ring is safely cut by inserting the tips under the rolled edge of the band and working your way up from there. The lid isn't affected by this and can be safely popped off later when the ring is snipped off. The glass under the lid is never scratched or touched by the tin snips.
Sounds as though you know whereof you speak, so I won't argue, as I've never tried it. My reason for stating that was not so much for fear of nicking the edge of the jar, but more because one often hears that scraping the jars with metal spoons or knives might, over time, weaken the glass sufficiently that it will crack in the canner. However, that has never happened to me either (yet), so I was only speaking theoretically, and parroting what I had heard elsewhere. (Also, I admit to being a bit of a klutz, and can easily picture me getting too enthusiastic with the tin snips. More graceful people would probably not have any issues)
 

BarefootMom

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screw drivers work well too - slip them up under the ring.. open quite a few like that over the past week - cleaned out an abandoned root cellar.

I for one would never have enough rings to store them on the jars so that is not a problem for me lol! I never buy new jars so therefore I never get rings. I buy my lids in bulk but can't afford to buy the rings in bulk. Most places want at least $1 a ring!
 

ORChick

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BarefootMom said:
screw drivers work well too - slip them up under the ring.. open quite a few like that over the past week - cleaned out an abandoned root cellar.

I for one would never have enough rings to store them on the jars so that is not a problem for me lol! I never buy new jars so therefore I never get rings. I buy my lids in bulk but can't afford to buy the rings in bulk. Most places want at least $1 a ring!
At that price it would be worth it to buy a case of new jars! Around here the case of 12 is less than a dollar a jar, and that includes rings and a dozen lids. You really only need enough rings to cover the maximum that you might can in a day. Take them off the next day, and use for the next load(s).
 

rhoda_bruce

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I needed new rims and lids when I robbed my bee hives last spring and I stayed stupid about the price of the boxes of rims and lids.....I swear back in the 80's when I was first getting into this home canning stuff, I paid less for the whole box than I would have had to pay for just the rims and lids now. Granted the cases are more, but it would be more worth it to get the complete deal than just the small package, when you consider what all you getting....but they used to cut you a better deal, even back in the day. The rims and lids really did go out of this world here; not that I think it makes any kinda sense. DH doesn't like the look of some of my rims and wants me to throw them, but I told him to look at the inside part that will touch the glass....they still nice. Plus I won't be going against my Mawmaw again. She was a genius and I never knew it. What I really thought was that I didn't have any room for the rims and I didn't want them to get lost, so might as well keep them on the jars....big mistake. I'll get them off, using one of the methods mentioned, saving Bee's suggestion for a sure fire last resort.
 

Denim Deb

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The way I store my rims. I tie a long piece of string to one, then string the rest onto the string and hang it someplace where it's out of the way, and won't get rusty.
 

BarefootMom

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Denim Deb said:
The way I store my rims. I tie a long piece of string to one, then string the rest onto the string and hang it someplace where it's out of the way, and won't get rusty.
In my canning kitchen I am going to have a dowel rod on a small square of wood ticking straight up attached to the wall... Going to store my rings on it. Going to at least 2 for different sizes...
 

k15n1

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On the rare occasion someone else leaves the rings on and they rust, I use a spoon to lift the ring off the top of the lid. The edge of the lid doesn't touch the ring---it's the top of the lid that makes the most contact.
 

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